


Jealous

by buffymysavior



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Happy Ending, Jealous T. J., Jealousy, M/M, Motocross, argument
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 11:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16217675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buffymysavior/pseuds/buffymysavior
Summary: TJ gets jealous when Cyrus talks to another guy at motocross. (Based off the Andi Mack season 3 promo).





	Jealous

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I’ve been writing this story since the day after the promo released, and let me tell you, it’s been a whirlwind. I wrote the back half of this on the drive to vacation on my mobile Google Docs, so sorry if it has some mistakes or formatting issues as I’m posting this on mobile as well. I’d like to say PLEASE don’t let this fic get your expectations too high for the real episode. This is based off what me and some of my other friends have theorized will happen but it’s much more gay than the show will realistically allow, so please don’t expect too much from the episode. With that being said, enjoy this story! I worked really hard on it and I hope you enjoy it until the real thing comes out. :)

It was after school on a Tuesday that Cyrus was at his house. He was sitting on the couch with his chin resting in his palms, the TV on even though he wasn’t really watching it. The past week or so had been rather boring without Andi and Buffy; they were too busy caught up in their drama with each other and Walker to really hang out, so here he was, alone at his house while his parents were out at some business dinner. Even his shrink parents had a busier social life than him; the reminder made him let out a sigh, and he tried not to let the nagging feeling of loneliness he felt get to him.

As another episode of whatever show was on played on the TV, a knock sounded throughout the house. Immediately, Cyrus’s interest was piqued; who could it be? His parents weren’t due to be home for a few more hours, and they wouldn’t have needed to knock, anyway, since they lived there. Andi and Buffy _practically_ lived there, too, so they would have just barged right in and made themselves at home. That limited it down to Jonah out of the only practical options, and he was probably busy aiding Andi in whatever drama she was having with Buffy, so that ruled him out, too. Curious, Cyrus got up from the couch and walked towards the door to find out who the mysterious guest was.

After a few suspenseful seconds, Cyrus cracked the door open (it could be a complete _stranger_ for all he knew) and saw a familiar wave of blonde hair. _TJ_. Of course! How had he left TJ off his list of options when they’d practically spent every day of their summer together? “Not So Scary Basketball Guy!” he exclaimed, opening the door completely now that he knew who it was. “What are you doing here?”

TJ flashed him a grin, one he was so used to seeing nowadays but simultaneously never grew tired of. “Hey, Underdog,” he said. He was wearing some sort of uniform that Cyrus didn’t recognize, but he shrugged off the unusual detail in favor of the conversation. “You know how we’ve been working on your list?”

Cyrus nodded. “Yes, of course!” They’d spent the past couple months ticking things off his list of things he couldn’t do, working on it here and there whenever they found the chance. “What about it?”

“Well, when I was helping you get that muffin a while ago, I remembered you told me ‘dancing with danger’ was on your bucket list, so I had an idea,” TJ explained.

A feeling of nervousness tingled throughout Cyrus’s body, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t excited, too. “What’s your idea?” he asked, raising his eyebrows in question.

A sheepish look fell on TJ’s face. “Well…,” he trailed off. “You should probably just come outside and see for yourself.”

Cyrus tried not to frown as he closed the door behind him, trotting down the steps in front of his house and following TJ into the driveway. As soon as he saw what TJ was talking about, he let out a gasp.

Sitting at the edge of the lawn was some sort of mountain bike, streaked blue and white with two helmets hanging from the handlebars. “So, what do you think?” TJ asked.

Cyrus gulped, trying to swallow the lump of fear in his throat, but it was no use. “What I think,” he began, obviously petrified, “is that this is _not_ what I had in mind when I said I wanted to dance with danger.”

TJ smiled in amusement at the other boy. “What did you have in mind?” he humored him.

He blanked for a moment. The farthest he had dreamed up on his ‘scale of danger’ was getting that chocolate-chocolate chip muffin all those months ago. But _this_ —riding a motorcycle or dirt bike or _whatever_ contraption TJ was trying to get him killed on—was on an entirely different plane of reality, one he, frankly, didn’t want to mess with. “I don’t know,” he blurted out after a moment. “Surely nothing as life-threatening as _this_.”

TJ snorted. “You wouldn’t be the one driving it, Cyrus, I would. I have a license, too, so it’s completely legal. _And_ I even brought you an extra helmet and a first aid kit,” he admitted. As endearing as it was that TJ had gone to all that extra trouble for _him_ , it did little to dissipate the fear rising in his chest.

Cyrus met his eyes for a brief second, and TJ must have sensed the worry there, because he asked, “What, do you not want to? I mean, we don’t _have_ to do it, but I thought I’d at least try to convince you.”

“It’s not that I don’t _want_ to,” Cyrus protested, eyebrows drawn together in worry. “It’s that I can’t! I could barely ride my own bike, much less...well, this!”

“I’ll be the one driving, remember? All you have to do is hang on,” TJ pointed out. Cyrus gave him another worried look. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, okay, Underdog?”

Cyrus took a deep breath. If he didn’t take the risk of getting hurt, he’d never know what he’d be missing out on. And it’s not like he _didn’t_ want to—he _more_ than wanted to, especially if it was TJ he’d be driving with. The only thing that was keeping him from saying yes was his own irrational fears.

After a minute or so, he made his decision. He pushed the fear in his chest down momentarily and nodded. And nodded. For a moment, all he could do was nod since the fear in his chest was constricting him from communicating any other way. Then finally, he spoke.“Okay.” The word came out in a quiet puff of breath, so soft that TJ might’ve missed if he hadn’t been listening.

Luckily he had, ever the keen listener when it came to Cyrus. “Great,” he smiled, his eyes lighting up at the answer. “Let’s go.”

Wordlessly, Cyrus followed TJ over to his bike—that dangerous, potentially life-threatening motorcycle of his—and watched the basketball player climb gracefully onto it. “Are you getting on or what?” he teased, turning around to glance at Cyrus, who was still gaping at the whole situation.

Cyrus shook his head to himself, collectively snapping himself out of his thoughts in the process. “Oh, right,” he muttered defeatedly. He stared at the bike in concentration for a second, trying to contemplate how to get on the motorcycle without either breaking something or making a complete fool of himself. After a moment, he awkwardly lifted up his leg and tried to swing it over the other side of the bike, but to no avail, he nearly fell in the process.

“Whoa, hold on, Underdog, I’ve got you,” TJ said, turning around and steading Cyrus by grabbing his sides. The moment made his whole body feel like it was tingling, and he tried to push away the feeling in favor of the current task. “ _Now_ try,” TJ suggested, strengthening his grip on Cyrus as the shorter boy tried to swing a leg over the bike. This time, his attempt was successful, and he was sitting on the bike in a matter of seconds.

“Thanks, Teej,” he breathed, heaving a sigh of relief as he sat safely on the bike.

TJ flashed him a smile. “Of course,” he grinned. He grabbed something hanging from the handlebars—a helmet—and gently tugged it on Cyrus’s head before clicking the chin strap in place. “Does that feel okay?”

Nothing was poking his head uncomfortably, and the helmet was on snugly but not too tight. “Yeah, thanks,” Cyrus smiled. He watched as TJ clipped on his own helmet, this one looking a lot differently than his own—TJ’s had a defined point at the tip while his own was round and smooth like a regular bicycle helmet. Then, TJ turned on the motorcycle, the roar of the engine drowning out the noise around them.

“Hold onto me, okay?” TJ yelled over the rumble of the engine, and for a second, Cyrus thought he must’ve misheard him due to the loud noise.

“What?” he shouted back, making TJ roll his eyes playfully.

“Hold onto me so you don’t fall off,” he repeated louder this time. The butterflies that engulfed Cyrus’s stomach at the words almost felt stronger than the vibrations coming from the engine.

Cyrus gulped nervously before placing his hands lightly on TJ’s shoulders. “Like this?” he asked loudly.

Despite the noise surrounding them, he could still hear TJ scoff. “Here, Underdog, like this,” he said, taking Cyrus’s arms off his shoulders and moving them around his waist. And _oh_. Suddenly the nervousness in the pit of his stomach wasn’t _just_ due to the fact that he could possibly maybe be risking his life. Now, it was shared by the fact that he was holding onto TJ, _correction_ , clinging onto TJ for dear life, something that made a nervous flurry of butterflies erupt in his chest. “Hold on tight so you don’t fall off, okay?”

Now _that_ certainly didn’t help matters, not in the slightest. “I could fall off?” he squeaked. Suddenly, he felt faint. Maybe he should—

“Cyrus,” TJ said firmly, effectively snapping Cyrus out of his panic, and his green eyes met Cyrus’s brown ones. “You’ll be fine, I promise. I won’t let that happen.” He waited a moment before asking, “Ready?”

Cyrus swallowed, taking a deep breath and trying to work his way around the anxiety in his chest. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he whimpered. As TJ began to drive off, Cyrus buried his face into the other boy’s back, trying to shield himself from the horrors of what was currently happening.

The wind breezed past them as TJ made his way out of the driveway. At first, the driving was a little bumpy due to the rocks, but once they made it to the road, their trek was smoother. Not that it made much difference to Cyrus, though; either way, he was still just as terrified, not even allowing himself to look up. Instead, he just tightened his arms around TJ and buried his face as far as he could into the other boy’s back.

Of course, that didn’t last long, like most good things. “Cyrus, look up!” TJ shouted loudly. It was a miracle his voice wasn’t lost to the wind with all of the noise surrounding them. “Come on, Underdog, look at this!”

Slowly, Cyrus lifted his head, just enough to see the back of TJ’s head. Then he leaned over TJ’s shoulder ever-so-slightly and realized what he was talking about. Surrounding them on either side were terracotta mountains and rugged terrain, all sitting under a dazzly blue sky. “Woah,” Cyrus whispered in awe. It really was a perfect picture, and suddenly, the feeling in his chest felt more light than heavy as he took in the view. “This is exhilarating!” he said as the wind whipped around his face.

He wasn’t sure if it was the roar of the wind or the loud rumbling of the engine deceiving his ears, but he thought he heard TJ laugh. Whatever the noise was, it was music to his ears, and Cyrus found himself letting out a high-pitched whoop as TJ continued driving.

It wasn’t too long before they were driving down a red dirt road, one that led to a winding series of paths. After a few seconds, TJ pulled up next to the tracks and stopped. Slowly, he turned off his bike, and the loss of the rumbling engine left the moment feeling surreal. “You know you can let go now, right?” TJ asked, but his voice was full of that endearing amusement he’d come to use so much around Cyrus. Still, the question left Cyrus feeling embarrassed as he detached himself from the other boy.

“Oh, right,” he said, cheeks inevitably red with embarrassment. There was a pause as TJ hopped off the bike, getting up to help Cyrus. He _did not_ think about the way his chest rose with excitement as TJ grabbed his hands to help him up, and he also _did not_ smile as TJ caught him when he stumbled. Definitely.

“Where are we?” Cyrus asked after a moment, now safely on the ground. Even though they’d stopped driving a while ago, the exhilarating feeling in Cyrus’s body still hadn’t left him, not in the slightest.

“Motocross tracks,” TJ responded. “It’s where I race. I was thinking I could show you some of my tricks. You know, if that’s okay. I know you’re not really interested in sports unless it comes to watching Buffy play basketball.”

“Excuse you, I _also_ watch Jonah’s frisbee games,” Cyrus interjected. “And sports are fine...you know, as long as I’m not the one playing them.”

TJ let out an amused laugh. “Don’t worry. All you’ll have to do is watch.”

“And cheer you on,” he added. “You forget, that’s my best asset when it comes to watching sports.”

They shared another laugh, the moment uninterrupted for only a few seconds before the roar of a bike started from behind them. Both of them cut their eyes towards the biker, a red motorcycle of sorts zooming past them and stopping near another part of the motocross tracks. Cyrus watched as the person jumped off their bike and took off their helmet, a familiar head of blonde hair and blue eyes gleaming in the sunlight. Cyrus quickly realized the person was Ethan, a fellow student from the dance class he’d started taking a few weeks ago.

It didn’t take long for Ethan to spot him. “Hey, Cyrus!” he called out, giving him a friendly wave. Cyrus gave TJ a glance before walking over to meet the other boy.

“Hey!” Cyrus said, giving him a smile. Ethan had been quite a help in the dance class they’d met at, making sure Cyrus didn’t fall and break something whenever the class tried out a complicated dance move. “I didn’t know you were into...this!”

Ethan grinned. “Most people aren’t into dancing _and_ motocross, I’ll give you that.” They shared a quick laugh. “What are you doing here? Are you just watching people race?”

“Why, you don’t think I’m racing myself?” Cyrus asked jokingly, though it was pretty obvious he wasn’t. His jacket and collared shirt didn’t even closely resemble the gear Ethan and TJ had on.

“Well, I saw you standing over there with someone else, so I figured you just came to show your support,” he explained. Cyrus turned around, his eyes landing on TJ who was standing a few yards away. His jaw was set in a firm line, staring down the empty space in front of him. Strangely enough, he looked almost...angry; a drastic change to the light-hearted amusement he’d displayed just a few moments ago. _Weird_.

Cyrus turned his attention back to Ethan, silently hoping that the sudden change in TJ’s facial expression was just a trick of the light. “I’m here with my friend TJ. He wanted to show me a few tricks since I’ve never been biking before.”

“Do you think he’d be interested in racing?” Ethan asked. His smile was so blinding, it reminded Cyrus of Jonah’s constantly beaming face.

Cyrus gave him a simple shrug. TJ was pretty competitive when it came to sports, so he didn’t see why he wouldn’t. “I don’t think he’d have a problem with it,” he offered.

Ethan gave a nod, cupping his hand around his mouth and yelling, “Hey!”

Immediately, TJ snapped his head towards them, and the glare on his face was undeniable as he met their gaze. His eyes were cold and hard like ice, his jaw tensed like he was grounding his teeth. “What?” he said, his voice sounding angry. The sight made Cyrus’s stomach drop. This was Mean TJ, Angry TJ, Old TJ. This wasn’t _His_ TJ.

The reaction obviously surprised Ethan, but he quickly brushed it off. “Do you want to race? Cyrus here tells me you’re pretty good.” Though Cyrus had said no such thing, he didn’t deny for one second that TJ was a good biker.

TJ quirked his eyebrows up for a second in surprise, here and then gone. “Sure. Let’s do it,” he said smugly, the hint of a sneer in his voice. Cyrus didn’t know why there was such a change in TJ’s behavior, but all he knew was that he didn’t like it. Not one bit.

He watched as TJ and Ethan put their helmets back on, both boys mounting their bikes and making their way to the motocross tracks. Cyrus wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen next. “Uh, on your mark, get set, go?” he yelled, voice uncertain. That seemed to do the trick, thankfully, and they began speeding around the tracks.

Though Cyrus wasn’t really sure how most sports worked, he was certain that this was a pretty close race. Both TJ and Ethan were neck and neck for a good portion of the race as they made their way around the winding tracks. He took turns cheering for both of them. “Go, TJ!” he yelled out as the boy sped around a curve. Quickly, though, Ethan surpassed him, driving ahead of him by a few feet. “Go, Ethan!” he shouted. Even though both of them were Cyrus’s friends, he _really_ hoped TJ won, a big reason for that being that he didn’t want his mood to worsen.

A few minutes later, that hope was crushed as Ethan drove past the finish line, just mere fractions of a second before TJ did. Both of them stopped their bikes after a few moments, getting off and taking off their helmets. From what Cyrus could tell, Ethan had a friendly smile on his face and TJ looked the complete opposite, face stone cold as he stormed off the tracks. “Congrats or good game or whatever they say,” Cyrus said to Ethan, giving him a smile. He could feel TJ’s eyes on him, his fixated glare feeling like a target on his back.

“Thanks,” Ethan smiled. “But you better go talk to your friend. He looks pretty upset.”

Cyrus gave him a nod, the sinking feeling in his chest more present than before. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “I’ll see you at dance class.”

Ethan gave him one last wave as he made his way back over to TJ, who was pretending to focus on his helmet. “Was that great or what?” Cyrus asked in excitement, hoping TJ would forget about why he was upset.

He didn’t. “I lost, Cyrus,” he said coldly, not even bothering to look up at him.

Cyrus frowned. He didn’t like when TJ got like this, especially when he was the one getting iced out. “You still did great. It was really close,” he offered, but TJ wasn’t having any of it.

“The point is I didn’t win,” he snapped, messing with the straps on his helmet. Cyrus grabbed the helmet out of TJ’s hands; surprisingly, he let him take it and set it on the ground.

“TJ, what’s wrong?” Cyrus asked. “You were fine earlier. Why are you acting like this?”

TJ scoffed, staring off into the distance. “Why don’t you ask Ethan? I’m sure he could tell you since you’re such great friends.”

What did Ethan have to do with any of this? The frown on Cyrus’s face only deepened. “We’re only friends because of dance class. I barely even know him,” Cyrus protested.

The basketball player rolled his eyes, but not in the amused, teasing way Cyrus was so used to seeing. It was in a _sarcastic_ way, an _annoyed_ way. He never rolled his eyes like that, not at Cyrus. “It didn’t seem like that when you were cheering him on,” TJ spat out.

“I was cheering for you, too. Come on, Teej, you _know_ I wanted you to win,” he pointed out. He hated this; he hated feeling like he was fighting TJ when they were always on the same side.

TJ didn’t answer, turning so Cyrus was facing his back now. “I have to go to work in an hour,” he said. The minute the words left his mouth, Cyrus knew it was a lie.

“I thought you were going to show me all your motocross skills and stuff,” he said hurt.

“You already saw them. I lost,” TJ said, voice cutting like glass.

Cyrus’s face fell at the words, heart stinging like he’d been cut there. He didn’t say anything as he followed TJ to his bike, this time getting on without his help. Right then, he didn’t _want_ TJ’s help, not when he was like this. He even considered not holding onto him as they started driving away, but eventually, his fear—or better yet, common sense—won out, and he linked his arms around TJ’s waist.

The ride back to Shadyside was silent besides the roar of the wind and the engine around them. Cyrus wasn’t too scared to look up at the view this time around, but it had suddenly lost its appeal now that he wasn’t sharing it with TJ.

Several minutes later, TJ pulled into Cyrus’s house, the driveway devoid of anybody besides them. Haphazardly, Cyrus tugged off his helmet and rested it on the handlebars, stumbling a little as he got off the bike. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, but it came out in the form of a question.

TJ didn’t give him more than a nod before pulling out of the driveway and riding off, and the moment left Cyrus feeling a lot more upset than it should’ve.

What was TJ’s problem? He’d been fine up until he’d started talking to Ethan. Maybe...no. There was no _way_ TJ Kippen was jealous of _him_ talking to another guy, was there? The very idea was crazy to even consider!

But as he stepped back inside, the faint sound of a motorcycle engine in the air, Cyrus couldn’t help but wonder if maybe TJ really _was_ jealous, if only a little bit.

* * *

The next day at school was a bit of a blur. Andi and Buffy _still_ weren’t talking, no matter how much Cyrus tried to meddle in the situation, which only left him feeling more down than he had the day before. Jonah claimed that there was nothing they could do about the situation and that all they could do was let the girls work it out themselves. Cyrus knew he was _probably_ right, but the whole thing made him feel more helpless than he cared to admit.

Not to mention TJ was _still_ avoiding him; every time Cyrus saw him in the halls, the basketball player would duck his head down and pretend not to see him, and he didn’t talk to him in any of the classes they shared. It was at lunch when TJ’s ignoring him came to a boiling point. Cyrus had gone to sit with the other boy at lunch—Buffy and Andi refused to sit together at the same table, and he hadn’t wanted to choose between them, so he’d been sitting with TJ the past few days. As Cyrus spotted him at their usual table, TJ glanced up at him for the first time all day. His face looked more defeated than angry now, more _hurt_ than mad. The moment only lasted mere seconds before TJ was looking away again, getting up and dumping the trash on his lunch tray.

If Cyrus had even a glimmer of hope for his situation with TJ before, it was surely gone then and there.

* * *

The week dragged on at a snail’s pace, but at last, it was Friday. Cyrus was watching Andi and Buffy argue by their lockers while he looked on helplessly, not even having the energy to intervene with everything going on this week. TJ was _still_ giving him the silent treatment, much to his own dismay. His heart longed to talk to the basketball player—it’d been a _long_ week without him, and at this point, he was ready to march straight up to him and force him to talk.

He was contemplating doing just that as he saw him walking out of a classroom. TJ was making his way right past him, eyes fixated on the other end of the hallway, when Cyrus reached out and grabbed his arm. The other boy gave him a surprised and maybe even a _hopeful_ look, not even bothering to pull away. _This is it_ , Cyrus thought to himself. “TJ, can I talk—“ he started, but he was quickly interrupted by another voice, one he’d become all to familiar with over the past year.

“Andi, Buffy, Cyrus, and TJ,” Principal Metcalfe called out. “I’ll see you in detention after school today.”

Andi and Buffy stopped arguing just long enough to give him a look, one of confusion and anger. “What did we even do?” Buffy questioned, eyebrows drawn together in agitation.

The words made Cyrus’s stomach drop. He’d _never_ had detention before. And especially not for something where he didn’t even know what he did! “What for?” he asked worriedly, voice squeaking the way it always did when he talked to authority figures.

“We didn’t even do anything,” TJ argued.

Metcalfe gave him a simple shrug. “That’s what you think,” he said ominously. “And tell Jonah Beck he has detention, too.”

“He doesn’t even go here!” Andi protested. “He goes to Grant now!”

“You heard me,” Metcalfe said boredly. “Be at the library after school or suffer the consequences.”

As he walked away, Buffy and Andi started their squabbling up again, their voices rising in anger as they tried to blame each other for getting detention. Cyrus let out a tired sigh as the bell rang, TJ taking his arm from Cyrus’s grasp. “I’ll see you after school, I guess,” he muttered, rolling his eyes in annoyance as he made his way down the halls.

Cyrus watched him reach the end of the hallway and turn the corner, somehow dreading and looking forward to detention all at once.

* * *

As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Cyrus, Andi, and Buffy made their way to the library together. It was silent as they trudged down to the room—partially because they were all shocked they _actually_ had detention, and also because neither of them were really in the mood to talk to each other, or at least Andi and Buffy weren’t, anyway.

Silently, they filed into the library, the three of them sitting at an empty table. It was empty except for them and the old librarian, the only sound in the room being the creaking of their desks and the loud typing on the librarian’s computer.

A few minutes later, Jonah walked into the room, shortly followed by TJ and Metcalfe. “I see you’re all here,” Metcalfe observed as Jonah sat down with the others while TJ sat at a separate table. “Detention is until four-fifteen. I expect you all to stay until that time, understood?”

Buffy spoke up. “Could you at least tell us why we’re being detained in this prison?” she asked, voice dripping with annoyance.

All Metcalfe did was roll his eyes. “You can figure that out while you’re in here. I’ll see you in an hour,” he said, walking out of the room.

What could they all have possibly done to land in detention? Buffy, Andi, and Cyrus were all good students behavior-wise and grade-wise—none of them had ever been in detention before besides that one time Andi fell asleep in class last year. Jonah was a good kid, too, who only got detention every once in a while for not doing his homework. Even TJ hadn’t done anything to get himself into trouble lately, maintaining his grades and his behavior ever since last year. None of it made any sense to Cyrus, that was for sure.

The rest of them were clearly puzzled, too. “That was weird,” Jonah whispered to the table. “He didn’t even give us his usual no talking speech.”

Buffy crossed her arms. “This whole _thing_ is weird. None of us did anything wrong and besides, you aren’t even in middle school anymore!”

The three of them continued to discuss how weird the situation was (apparently the detention had forced Buffy and Andi into a temporary truce) while Cyrus watched TJ from the table diagonal from them, his chin resting in his palm. TJ was sitting there and pretending to do his homework—it was obvious in the way he had his pencil gripped but it wasn’t moving. The longer Cyrus watched the basketball player, the more frustrated and impatient he grew with their situation. At some point, he got up and shoved his chair in, giving his friends one last look before sitting down at TJ’s table. TJ looked up at him in mild surprise. “Can we talk?” Cyrus asked in a hushed voice. The _last_ thing he wanted to do in detention was to get in more trouble by disrupting the librarian.

“What’s there to talk about?” he asked, sighing. He sounded _defeated_.

“You know what I’m talking about,” Cyrus pointed out. “I want to know why you’re mad at me.”

TJ cut his eyes towards his homework, the sheet of paper blank like Cyrus had suspected. “I’m not mad at you,” he said, slight defensiveness creeping into his voice. “And I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to talk about it if you’re not mad at me?” Cyrus questioned, narrowing his eyes. He was going to get to the bottom of this, whether TJ liked it or not.

TJ let out a noise, one full of annoyance. “I don’t want to talk about this _here_.”

“Then we won’t,” Cyrus said, dragging TJ out of his seat. As reluctant as he obviously was to talk about the whole ordeal, TJ let him, allowing Cyrus to lead them to a corner of the library hidden by a row of bookshelves. “ _Now_ tell my why you’re mad at me.”

“I already told you, Cyrus. I’m not mad,” TJ said defensively.

“You clearly are, otherwise you wouldn’t be so defensive,” Cyrus pointed out. When TJ didn’t answer, he finally asked the question that had been burning in his mind since Tuesday evening. “Is this because of Ethan?”

For a moment, there was nothing but silence and tense energy between them. TJ’s jaw visibly tensed, and for a second, Cyrus thought he might storm off. Then finally, TJ blurted out, “Of _course_ this is about Ethan or _whatever_ his stupid name is.”

Cyrus’s heart stuttered, stopped, but he tried to keep the surprise he felt devoid from his face. “Why?” he asked, voice light as a feather. “Is that...is that why you’re mad? Because I was cheering him on? You _know_ I wanted you to win, Teej, not him.”

TJ shook his head, closing his eyes. “I told you, I’m not mad,” he said, voice on the brink of snapping.

“Then what do you call this, TJ?” Cyrus questioned. “Because this looks like mad to me!”

TJ bit his lip, face torn. “It’s—jealous, Cyrus! I’m jealous, okay?”

Cyrus’s heart felt like it was beating out of his chest and stopping all at once. All this time, he’d thought the very _idea_ of TJ being jealous was insane, but he _was_ , no matter how crazy it sounded to his own ears. TJ Kippen was jealous of _him_ talking to another boy! “You’re...jealous? Of me and Ethan?” he asked, just for confirmation. Part of him was afraid that maybe he’d misheard him.

TJ sunk to the floor, leaning against a bookshelf and giving Cyrus a grudging nod. Cyrus sat down next to him, criss-crossing his legs. “Why?” he asked. There was really no _actual_ way TJ was jealous because he liked him...right?

TJ let out a frustrated groan. “Because...I like you, Cyrus. I have ever since we talked on the swings...heck, even before that when I helped you get that muffin. And I know I have no right to be, but I’m jealous.” His eyes found Cyrus’s, green irises burning into brown.

So it _was_ true! TJ was jealous because he _liked_ him! The realization made his heart feel like it was exploding, like his whole body was made of the butterflies TJ so often gave him.

TJ must’ve took Cyrus’s stunned silence as a bad thing, because he immediately turned away, scrubbing his face with his hands. “Just forget I ever said anything, okay? It’s stupid.”

Cyrus frowned at the words, grabbing TJ’s hands away from his face and not even bothering to let go of them as he said, “It’s _not_ stupid, TJ.” It was the _least_ stupid thing he’d ever heard in his life; if anything, it was the best news he’d ever received in the history of...well, ever!

TJ gave him a look, skeptical and hopeful all at once. “It’s not?”

Cyrus took a deep breath, giving him the slightest shake of his head. “No. I...I like you, too,” he admitted. It felt so _good_ being able to say the words without fear of judgement, without wondering if TJ would feel the same way. It felt good being able to finally say the words he’d been holding back. for so long.

“You do?” TJ questioned. Cyrus could visibly see the hope growing on his face, something that made him smile a Jonah-worthy grin.

Cyrus nodded, squeezing TJ’s hands as if to remind himself he was still holding them. “I don’t know when it started, but...I have for a while now. For months now, actually,” he laughed slightly, the relief in his chest more apparent than ever. _TJ Kippen liked him back_. “When we were riding your bike, I got this feeling like...like I was on top of the world. Like I could do _anything_. And...that’s how you make me feel, TJ. Every day,” Cyrus admitted. Just saying the words made him feel just that again. Like he could do _anything_.

“Underdog,” TJ smiled radiantly, his voice quiet in awe. The endearing nickname only made the feeling in Cyrus’s chest grow, _ache_. “That’s how you make me feel, too.” The softness in his voice matched the quiet of the library.

“Really?” he asked in disbelief. This whole situation was so _surreal_ to him. Up until a few hours ago, he’d thought he’d lost TJ forever, but this...this was more than he’d ever dared to hope for.

TJ nodded. “You make me feel like I can be the best version of myself when I’m with you. And I feel like I don’t have to _pretend_ with you.” He laughed awkwardly, turning away. “That probably sounds lame.”

“That’s the least lame thing I’ve ever heard,” Cyrus protested, beaming at the words. “If anything, it’s the sweetest.”

“Yeah?” TJ asked in surprise.

“Yeah.” They shared a smile. “And you don’t have to be jealous of Ethan anymore. You’re the only one that I like,” Cyrus promised.

Somehow, that made TJ’s smile even bigger than before, which Cyrus hadn’t thought was possible. “You’re the only one that I like, too.”

There was a wild moment where Cyrus thought TJ might kiss him, but it was here and then gone when the creak of a door sounded from the other side of the room, causing both boys to spring apart. They stood up to see Metcalfe striding into the room, that familiar smirk on his face. “Come join the group, boys. It’s time we talk,” he said, motioning for them to sit down.

They both glanced at each other with a blush, still beaming as they walked over to the main area of the library and sat down. “So, did you figure out why I put you in here?” Metcalfe questioned.

The group shook their heads. “We have no idea,” Buffy smarted. “Unless this was yet _another_ one of your infamous social experiments.”

Buffy had said the words jokingly, but Metcalfe gave an approving nod. “That’s exactly right.”

They all shared looks that were a mix of confusion and agitation. “What? Why us? And what was the experiment?” Andi questioned, eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

Metcalfe sat down on top of one of the desks. “I’ve noticed a lot of tension in your friend group lately,” he admitted.

“There’s _always_ tension in our friend group,” Buffy muttered under her breath.

He ignored her and continued, “Anyway, I wanted to try a new social experiment the school’s working out. They’re considering adding a peer mediation program here at the middle school. Consider yourselves the guinea pigs!”

This time, it was Jonah that piped up. “So, you’re saying we wasted an hour of our Friday in detention so you could test out a new program for the school?”

Metcalfe nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly! See, you catch on fast.” The five of them continued to share looks of annoyance, though Cyrus nor TJ could bring themselves to care all that much. “So, did it work? The school needs a report on how well the experiment worked so we can get the green light we need for the program.”

Cyrus glanced around. Andi and Buffy didn’t seem to be as tense as they were before, not quite back to their old friendship, but not quite icing each other out either. Jonah hadn’t really had a problem with any of them to begin with, so there wasn’t a question about that. And him and TJ...well, he thought it was _definitely_ safe to say they worked out their issues. “Actually, I think it did,” Cyrus said after a moment. Andi, Jonah, and Buffy gave him looks of confusion, so he gave them a smile that said _we’ll talk later_.

“Really? Sweet!” Metcalfe exclaimed. “Well, I guess that means you’re free to go, then. Thanks for your help.”

Andi, Buffy, and Jonah grumbled as they stomped out of the library, Metcalfe following them out.

“So, I was thinking…,” TJ started. “Wanna go to the motocross tracks after school? I mean, we never really got to properly cross that off your list.”

Cyrus gave him a smile. “Sure,” he grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”

They both grabbed their belongings off the library tables. Cyrus took a little while to fully get all of his stuff together; the fact that TJ liked him back was so surreal to him that he was _still_ having a hard time believing it. “You okay?” TJ asked gently as Cyrus finally gathered his supplies.

Suddenly, Cyrus remembered what Buffy had said to him after he kissed Iris. He’d asked her if he was going to be okay, and she’d said yes, that he already was okay. It wasn't until this moment that Cyrus realized just how right she was.

“Yeah, I am,” he smiled. Hesitantly, he interlocked his hand with TJ’s—interlocking _was_ his favorite type of hand holding, after all—and they walked out of the library together, holding hands like they always should have been.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
